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Both Buddhism and Stoicism emphasize self-control, ethical living, and the attainment of a passionless state. However, the Indian philosophy predated Stoicism by about 500 years. Did Buddhism influence Greek Stoicism and thought, and, if so, how did it do so a continent away? Similarities between Stoicism and Buddhism: A shared path to inner peace Practitioners of Stoicism and Buddhism deeply understand life’s impermanence and the need to overcome desires. The philosophies teach mental discipline and detachment from external circumstances as paths to inner peace. In Stoicism, “apatheia” means freedom from emotional disturbance, closely mirroring Buddhism’s “nirvana,” the liberation from suffering....

The same symbol whose sight would make me feel uncomfortable, even unsafe, back home, sparked in me some sort of relief and sympathy on this distant island onsidering that we would be in Taiwan for 24 hours total, my travel buddy and I didn’t worry too much about finding kosher food. We’d arrive on a plane in the morning and leave on another plane the following morning. We’d bring our usual picnic bag with challah rolls and other sorts of Jewish foods we always take with us when we fly abroad. Still, I wanted to make sure we’d easily find...

You may have hard the news that archaeologists have discovered a 1,400-year-old wine press in Southern Israel -- 25 miles south of Jerusalem -- an area which was once part of the Byzantine Empire. According to the scientists, the exceptionally large size of the press -- measuring 21 feet by 54 feet -- suggests that it was used to produce wine for export to Egypt, or Europe. But, could these archeologists have the story all wrong? To any "Lost" devotee, the unique octagonal shape of the press and its proximity to Egypt and Tunisia will bring to mind the work...

Brahman, Atman, Karma and GunasThe breadth of Hindu religion accommodates a large variety of religious concepts. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan called it 'Hindu hospitality'. As a result we see varied forms of practice of Hinduism. From the surface it may even appear like different religions with no common thread or goal. Shankaracharya (788-820 C.E.) was responsible for the 'synthesis' of Hindu religion. But for the effort of Shankara, the chaotic and disorganized practices of many factions of Hinduism probably would have resulted in many splintered groups of religions. Shankara brilliantly unified the different practices into one religion that we call Hinduism...